She dropped my hand and moved past me to greet someone else.
Okay, then.
The next twenty minutes or so were spent making the rounds with my mother. She introduced me to a long list of women I was probably supposed to know but didn’t really remember. I’d never been great with names or faces. They either appeared disinterested in me, which elicited an even cooler response from my mom, or they gushed about how accomplished I was and how proud my mother must be. There wasn’t much in between.
And accomplished? I had no idea what they were talking about, but I could guess. There was no way my mother would have admitted to any of these ladies that my career hadn’t gone very far, that I’d spent months unemployed, or that I’d taken a job at a rinky dink newspaper so I could pay rent and keep buying dog food.
Mom’s version must have sounded a lot better than reality.
Finally, the buffet opened. Mom hesitated, watching as people found places at the round tables. A moment or two later, she seemed to decide and gestured for me to follow. After placing the cloth napkins on the backs of our chairs, claiming them as ours, we went to the buffet to dish up.
The food did look good and miracle of miracles, my mother didn’t say a word about what I put on my plate. I decided to be thankful for small blessings and took my breakfast back to my seat.
After putting down my plate, I peeked at my phone, hoping for a message from Josiah.
I was disappointed.
“So, Audrey,” one of the women across from me said. “Patrice tells us you’re living in Tilikum. How do you like it?”
I’d already forgotten her name. I had a fleeting wish that they wore name tags at these things, but the women in this group were accustomed to everyone knowing who they were.
“It’s nice. I like it a lot.”
“And how is your new job?”
“I finally feel like I know what I’m doing, so that’s good.”
“You were always such a go-getter. I bet you’ll be in charge soon.”
Mom touched my arm. “I agree.”
The subtle pressure was so familiar. Put on a good show, Audrey. Make us look good.
I took a bite of mini-pancake topped with a slice of strawberry. If my mouth was full, I wouldn’t have to do as much to keep up the conversation.
“Do you remember Alexa Wilcox?” She didn’t wait for me to reply. “She moved back to the area recently as well. I think she has four children now? Is that right?”
“I believe so,” Mom said.
“Yes, four,” the woman sitting next to her answered. I couldn’t remember her name, either.
“She keeps naming them after spices,” the first woman said. “Rosemary, Sage, Lavender. I don’t recall the name of the fourth.”
“Poppy?” the other woman offered.
“That sounds right,” Mom said.
“Audrey is so smart to be stable in her career before settling down,” she said, her eyes on my mom.
“Oh, I agree,” Mom said, her voice smooth. “I won’t pretend I don’t want to be a grandmother, but I’m proud of her for waiting.”
As if I’d waited on purpose and it wasn’t mostly bad luck in relationships. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.
“I hear you’re dating one of the Haven brothers,” she said.
There wasn’t any judgment in her voice, at least that I could detect, although Josiah Haven was definitely not country club material. Maybe because I wasn’t her daughter, she didn’t have to worry about what a burly, bearded lumberjack of a man would do to her family’s reputation.
“Yes, I am.” I was mad at him, but I couldn’t help but smile. “But it’s a new relationship.”
“He seems like a decent man,” Mom said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
I glanced at my mom in disbelief. Did she mean that? I’d told her about Josiah over the phone and her voice hadn’t betrayed anything. For all I knew, she was just glad her daughter was finally dating someone, and didn’t care who. Maybe she’d finally given up hope that I’d marry someone from the right family.
“He’s a very good man,” I said. “Mom, speaking of my personal life, something happened this morning and I just want to keep you updated.”
Most people wouldn’t have noticed her reaction, but I knew her too well. Her fork dropped a little too quickly, clinking against her plate. And her eyes darted to me a little too fast.
“Of course, dear, we can talk about it later.”